Dedicated air ambulance needed to resolve patient transport issues, Aasandha says
MPs said they are receiving complaints from the people.
The current delay in air lifting patients through Aasandha national health insurance scheme will be resolved by having a dedicated air ambulance, the new management of Aasandha said Tuesday.
One of the complaints of many MPs at the State Owned Enterprises (SOE) committee meeting held Tuesday was that it takes time to transport patients from their constituencies to hospitals. MPs said they are receiving complaints from the people.
In response to the complaints, Aasandha's new Managing Director Aiminath Zeeniya said:
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Patients through Aasandha now have to be brought to Male on aircraft operated by national airline, Maldivian
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However, there is a problem of not getting seats on Maldivian flights when the patient needs to be air lifted
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That is because of the limited number of aircraft and the number of flights the airline has to make
"It takes about 24 hours to get a charter. Sometimes flights have to be delayed to pick up passengers. I believe that a dedicated aircraft will solve the problem. We have to transport so many patients from one island to another every day," she said.
Zeeniya said Aasandha had signed an agreement with an air ambulance service provider a year ago. However, the agreement should be changed as the service is not being provided in the best possible way, he said.
The biggest problem with the agreement, she said, is that the company has to charter a plane from a local operator to provide the service. Zeeniya said, because of that:
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The cost involved will be high
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Operators are not willing to allow such charters
“Therefore, it could be done by amending the agreement,” she said.
The government's 100-day pledges include the launch of an air ambulance service.
